Overview
Just like any other filming activity, filming in national parks requires the filming crew to have obtained all the necessary permits and permission. Uganda has a total of 10 national parks and to film in any of the following national parks, you need to process the Uganda Wildlife Authority(UWA) filming contract including the above including some fees. National parks in Uganda include the following; Mt Rwenzori national park, Mt Elgon national park, Semuliki national park, Lake Mburo national park, Kidepo valley national park, Queen Elizabeth national park, Murchison falls national park, Kibale national park, Mgahinga national park and Bwindi impenetrable national park.
Pamoja Tours and Travel Company will help to organize your filming fees and permission to film in any of the top national parks in East Africa. Furthermore, we can handle all the pre-production activities like processing filming permits, press accreditation, assigning the right fixers for your shoot, booking your accommodation and transport as well as clearing all your filming equipment into East African countries.
Press accreditation permit
This is like the gate pass for the filming crew which is a must-have for the crew intending to conduct any filming in Uganda. The Uganda Media Council issues these cards which are valid for about 30 days up to two years from the date of issuing.
For a member to acquire the card, he or she has to first fill the form given. Additionally, the members of the crew fill the form with the necessary details along with the copy of the passport and their recent passport photos. Note that the bios page is the page that each member must scan for the passport case. The team leader is also supposed to send a detailed synopsis of the film that is intended to be shot in Uganda in a specified period of time.
Furthermore, the media accreditation fees for all the crew members in a specific period of time include;
- Each crew member will pay 175$ for a period not exceeding 30 days of the member’s stay.
- Each member will pay a fee of 225$ for a period beyond 30 days up to six months of stay.
- Each member will pay a fee of 325$ for a period of 2 years of the member’s stay.
After sending the necessary details, we will then contact you upon approval by the Uganda media council and further help you to secure the filming permits for all of your crew members allowing you to carry out filming in Uganda National Parks.
NOTE: You must obtain accreditation from the media center before carrying out any filming.
Location filming permit
The second permit is a bit hard to obtain since there is a lot of paper work which is in a specific procedure however, Pamoja Tours and Travel Company is here to help you acquire all the necessary permits needed to allow you film in the national parks of Uganda.
The location permit allows the crew members to film in all the national parks where you plan to shoot from. Since these national parks are under the Uganda Wildlife Authority, there is a fee that they charge; 40% filming fee of the activity you intend to film and 10% monitoring fee. All these fees are only payable to the Uganda Wildlife Authority. Here, the UWA will draft an agreement between you and them on which you append your signatures in the agreement of the terms and conditions.
REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES
Fill in an application
Applications should be made using the Uganda Wildlife Authority official application form only. All film requests should be sent three weeks prior to start date of filming. Here the Uganda Wildlife Authority will acknowledge the receipt of all application within 24 hours and not later than 48 hours.
All film requests will be evaluated on a case by case basis, taking into account the various sensitivities and other commitments of the protected areas but with a flexible approach aimed at helping filmmakers meet their objectives.
Agree on a fee
No filming will take place without any payment processed. The Uganda Wildlife Authority agrees with the party. Once all the necessary documentation is complete and after payment of the necessary fees, filming can take place.
There is a refundable fee of about 1000$ which film makers have to pay in advance. They are able to get that money back after submitting at least two copies of the DVD (after recording). Thereafter, the UWA will broadcast the first transmission.. Note that the DVDs are for educational and non-profit making purposes only.
Arial shooting is given approval by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Uganda Peoples Defense Forces (UPDF).
Sign legally binding contract and receive the permits
Once the film makers agree on the fee and after payments, there is a contract that is available for signing between the UWA and the film makers. In case, there should be a witness (the filmmaker in person or a representative/attorney). Note that you should send all documents by post.
De-brief
The UWA will be happy if they have a meeting once the filming process is complete. Give feedback to the UWA official about the quality of the service. This feedback is essential for improvement of the film services. After the meeting with the UWA official, he/she will send a report to the Communications manager.
